


Jennies And Crows

by Hexlorde



Series: Fictober 2019 [2]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition, Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, Fictober 2019, some blood
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-02
Updated: 2019-10-02
Packaged: 2020-11-22 06:16:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,811
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20869547
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hexlorde/pseuds/Hexlorde
Summary: What if a certain former Crow had found his way to Val Royeaux not long before the Conclave? What if a certain Red Jenny ran into him there?





	Jennies And Crows

**Author's Note:**

> For Fictober Day 2, "Just follow me, I know the area."

It was the groans and heavy breathing that had first drawn Sera to the area. After all, those sorts of noises usually indicated that some noble pricks were going at it like nugs in the alleyways of Val Royeaux, which meant the perfect time for her to do something to their breeches. So yeah, she wasn’t exactly expecting to end up in anything big. So she had scampered on over expecting to prank the pants off of some fop nobles (or something like that, cause they probably weren’t wearing any pants at the moment).

Then she had poked her head in the mouth of the alley and seen the figure huddled at the end and had the ‘Oh shite’ moment of realizing that there was actually just one person in there and that the one person happened to be covered in blood. Shite!

Before she could duck away the figure suddenly looked up, and the next thing she knew there was a knife at her throat and a blond elf hovering over her with cold eyes. “I do not wish to harm you, so unless you are going to try and finish what the guards started then I would suggest that you leave now,” he said.

Looking back, even Sera could admit that her reaction was a bit extreme. But hey, it wasn’t her fault that this guy with a knife to her throat just so happened to remind her of the worst time in her life! She did what anybody would do when a ghost of the past showed up right in their face; she punched him in the nose. The man went staggering backward and tripped over the hem of his cloak, which sent him crashing to the ground. Within an instant Sera was on top of him with her bow drawn and an arrow knocked.

“Alright Mr. Dark-And-Scary, give me one reason why I shouldn’t kill you now!” She could see his eyes cross for a bit as he tried to focus on the arrow pointed at his nose, but then he groaned again and let his head fall down to the cobblestones. That was the point that she realized that there was something wet soaking through her left shoe. Suddenly the source of all the blood was clear, and her eyes widened as she looked around and saw the multiple corpses littered around in the shadows.

The man sighed, drawing her attention back to him, and said “Eh, to be honest, there probably aren’t any that you would care for. I’m not really looking to end up someone’s personal assassin again, and my work here is done.”

He had an Antivan accent that kept jogging her memory, but she decided not to bring that up quite yet. Instead she gestured to the bodies lying around as she said “So who were they? Someone said you had to kill them?”

The man chuckled, but it sounded hollow to her. “No no, no one told me that I had to kill them. I just could not let the Crows have the satisfaction of killing me without losing a few of their favorite operatives in the process.”

Sera scoffed. “What, you did some bad deal and someone set some poncey assassins after you? I thought that the only time the came around here was when they were trying to help along the Blight by killing people who tried to stop it,” she said, which earned her a breathless chuckle from the man underneath her.

“Actually, they do not like me because I refused to be the one to kill the Wardens after they spared my life. Hence my comment of ‘not going to be someone’s pet assassin again’,” he said.

“You!” Sera cried, the pieces clicking into place. “You were that elf that showed up in Denerim with the Wardens! I remember you coming into the alienage.” She sprang up from over him and relaxed her bow, though she kept the arrow knocked. The man looked up at her from the ground with confusion written on his face, duly aided by the blood that had smeared from his nose. “What are you doing in frickin Orlais of all places if you had big people to hang out with?”

He sat up with a groan, holding a hand to his side, and said “They had more important things to worry about than trying to hide a former Crow in their ranks. Besides, I had a little quest of my own and I preferred that my friends did not get caught up in the aftermath.”

Sera looked around and said “So you’re out here hunting assassins without any friends? That sounds stupid to me. Even I make sure that I have my friends if I’m going after some rich arsehole who can easily kill me.”

The man cocked an eyebrow. “And who is this mysterious woman who apparently knows how to fight better than an assassin who has been fighting for longer than she has?”

“Sera, though sometimes I’m also Red Jenny,” she said as she offered a hand to him. He made a noise of understanding and let himself be pulled up, wincing a bit as more blood gushed from his wound.

“Well then, it’s nice to meet you Sera. My name is Zevran, should you ever need to contact me. Goodbye.” With that he started to stagger away to the mouth of the alley.

Sera shouted “Oi!” as she grabbed his hand. “Where do you think you’re going? You’re gonna get killed out there if you stagger out like that.” Zevran turns to look at her and she huffs in annoyance. “Ugh, just follow me. I know the area, yeah? I’ll get you someplace where you won’t end up swinging because you fought some bastards who decided that they didn’t like you because you helped stand up for _ people _ people.”

Zevran just shrugs and follows behind her as she turns and drags him the other way and up on to the rooftops. It’s clear that his wound is bothering him but he keeps quiet about it, even when he stumbles and almost falls off the edge of a balcony. After that Sera slows down and tries to find him easier ways around stuff like that, even though she loudly complains that they can’t take the fastest routes through the city.

Before the sun goes down they’ve reached a door marked with red chalk, though when Zevran slumps against it the chalk smears and is replaced by dark blood. Sera pounds on the door and calls “Hey, I’ve got someone out here who needs a bandage or sumthin!” There’s the sound of heavy boxes being moved, and then the door opens to reveal a slim woman with dirt smudged on her cheeks.

She gasps when she sees the state that Zeveran’s in and motions them in. “Come on, come on, you’re gonna bleed out if you stay out there!” she exclaims. Between her and Sera they manage to haul the former Crow into the tiny house and on to a low cot. It’s clear that he’s about to pass out, and the woman shoves Sera towards him with the order of “Keep pressure on that wound until I get back.” Then she vanished into a pile of crates, leaving Sera alone with Zevran again.

“Hey, come on, stay awake. She’s gonna kill me if it turns out that I dragged you all this way only for you to die, yeah?” Zevran barely responds, his eyelids fluttering as he struggles to stay awake. “Shite, fuck, balls, _ shite! _” Sera mutters as she watches him.

The other woman races back into the room with an armful of bandages and healing potions. “Help me get him patched up,” she orders, and together she and Sera get to work.

* * *

Hours later Zevran groans as he opens his eyes. Immediately Sera is at his side with a cup of water. “Drink it slowly, okay? I don’t want you drowning after we spent all that time keeping you alive.”

Zevran nods as he tips the cup back, familiar with recovering from life-threatening injuries. He’s almost done with it when the other woman comes in and sees him. “Oh good, you’re up. How are you doing?” she asks.

“Much better, now that I have undergone your care. Tell me, what is the name of the lovely angel who saved me from the brink of death?” he says with a wink.

At the same time, the woman with dirt smudges says “I’m Red Jenny. Who’s the idiot who used up all of my healing supplies?” Sera says “Oi, back off stabby boy. She’s mine.”

Zevran looks up at them with wide eyes. “My apologies. I did not intend to step on any toes, especially when those toes belong to a lover who happens to have one of the same names as their partner.” His tone was light, but it was clear that he was curious.

“Ugh,” Sera groaned. “Red Jenny is a name that the little people who get stomped on by the big important people who think that they can do whatever they want. The friends of Red Jenny help us find out about big people who plan stupid shite that would hurt little people, and then the Jennies go and do something about it. We have a bunch of people all over who go by the actual name; like how there were three brothers in Starkhaven who were all Jennies. But in the end, those nobles in their fancy towers can pretend that they’ve only got one person to worry about, and us little people can make a difference.”

Zevran, who had been quiet during the whole explanation, nodded. “That is an admirable thing to do, even if it does sound a tad bit confusing. I myself know a bit about fighting back against people who believe themselves gods among men,” he said. He smirked at the other woman. “Though in all seriousness, I would like your name. I’ll even go first; my name is Zevran, though certain elements of Antivan society call me the Black Shadow.”

The woman cackled and nodded, a smile easing on to her dirt-stained cheeks. “Fair enough; I’m Cindy, though I’m also one of the Red Jennies here in Orlais. Good to meet you.” She suddenly looked stern. “Now you get some rest; I won’t have you wasting all the supplies that I used to keep your insides in,” she says.

Zevran chuckles and lays back down, staring at the ceiling. As he starts to drift off the sleep he can hear the two women leave the room, and his last thoughts are about the strange network that they have built up around themselves. _ ‘Perhaps it would be nice to be a part of something like that,’ _ he muses as he drifts off.

**Author's Note:**

> So... This might be continued. We'll see how things go.


End file.
